The Sunken Trace

Preserved here is a portion of the deeply eroded or ‘sunken’ Old Trace. Hardships of journeying on the Old Trace included heat, mosquitos, poor food, hard beds (if any), disease, and harsh swamps. Take five minutes to walk this sunken trail and let your imagination carry you back to the early 1800s when people walking 500 miles had to put up with these discomforts. This was a place where broken leg or arm could spell death for the lone traveler.

The Sunken Trace is located on the Natchez Trace Parkway near Port Gibson, Mississippi at milepost 41.5.